In an apparent attempt to discourage and prevent men from committing “wrong acts”, the general body of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), a civic body that governs the city of Mumbai, on Tuesday passed a proposal banning man display of bikini-clad mannequins outside lingerie shops in the city, The Indian Express reported Tuesday.
The proposal was suggested by a female councillor of Shiv Sena, India’s notorious right-wing political party. RituTawade, BJP corporator from Ghatkopar,made the proposal on April 26 and it passed on May 16. The general body of BMC has now demanded BMC Commissioner SitaramKuntedesign a new policy regarding “indecent display” in public areas. Once the proposal is approved, civic officials would have the right to get shopkeepers to remove a mannequin if, according to the officials, it is “indecently dressed”.
India has been in the spotlight for rape discourse ever since the brutal rape and eventual murder of a 23-year-old girl sparked debates and protests both locally and internationally. With Mumbai bearing the second highest number of rapes in the country, Tawade attributed “wrong acts by men” to “inadequately” dressed mannequins.
“Especially two-piece clothes which barely cover the body have led to pollution of minds in today’s generation. Such a display affects the mindset of men. One must think of the awkwardness a woman will feel standing in front of such a mannequin,” she said.
Tawade, 39, who has a background in commerce, also said the proposal has its bases in the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, which states “indecent representation of women means the depiction in any manner of the figure of a woman; her form or body or any part thereof in such way as to have the effect of being indecent, or derogatory to, or denigrating women, or is likely to deprave, corrupt or injure the public morality or morals”. A few shops in her ward have already been forced to take down mannequins displaying such “inadequate” clothing.
Though this has caused much uproar on social media and amongst the youth, it has received support from individuals such as Mumbai Mayor and Shiv
Senacorporator Sunil Prabhu. “I have always supported women corporators in their initiatives and I agree with her that such scantily clad mannequins do invite unwanted attention of men and the resulting surge of sex crimes,” said Prabhu.